Eminger sighted...

We will leave it to you, dear reader, to believe this to be true...or merely a hoax.

A TWO-point night: Caps 5 - Canadiens 4 (OT)

Félicitations, Club de Hockey Capital!!

The Capitals made it four-for-four in Canada for the season this afternoon with a 5-4 overtime win over the pesky Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre. Pending games to be played this evening, the win moved the Caps to within four points of the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference and within seven points of the top spot in the Southeast Division.

Mike Green delivered the game-winner – his second overtime game winner in the past dozen games – 1:27 into the extra session.

Green’s goal caped a wild and wooly contest that saw the Caps once more come back from a two-goal deficit, the third time they’ve done so in less than four weeks.

You’d think that in a game with nine goals, there was some rather poor goaltending on display, but that wasn’t entirely the case. Most of the goals in this one came off good plays or superb individual efforts…

Alexei Kovalev finding a passing lane to hit Tomas Plekanec, who had a virtually open net to shoot at…

Andrei Kastitsyn undressing Mike Green on a rush and roofing the puck over Olaf Kolzig’s blocker…

Alex Ovechkin rifling a blur of a shot right off a face off past Carey Price…

Roman Hamrlik waiting at the post to Kolzig’s right as a slap pass made it all the way through on the other side, hitting the end boards and bouncing right to Hamrlik, who had only to bat the puck into an empty net…

Michael Nylander taking a pass from Tomas Fleischmann, stepping around Kastitsyn, and finding Mike Green, who wasted no time getting the shot off for the game winner. Green didn’t get everything on it, but got it off in time before Price could scramble across the crease to cut it off…

There were goals that each goaltender might want back…Price didn’t look like the next coming of Patrick Roy on goals by Nicklas Backstrom or Boyd Gordon, and Kolzig probably should have had the save on what became a goal by Alexei Kovalev. But this was more a skills-on-parade kind of game than it was poor goaltending. It might even have been worse but for some fine saves by both netminders.

The number in this one that comes leaping off the page is…17.

That is the number of shots attempted by Alex Ovechkin, more than a quarter of the Caps’ total (63). 12 of those attempts were blocked, and we’re going to assume that Mike Komisarek is spending extra time in the whirlpool after blocking seven shots (five off the stick of Ovechkin).

We were just wondering…how is it that a player who was treated like a pylon on the game winning goal – a goal scored by a player who was 1-2-3, +1 – end up being named the third star of the game at the expense of that player scoring the game-winner? Just adds fuel to the idea that the whole “three stars” idea is one whose time has come and gone…it’s just a “homer” device (and the Caps are not immune to that sort of thing, either, in games at Verizon Center). Green might have disqualified himself for his own pylon moment on the Kastitsyn goal, but his was the winner in the end.

Brooks Laich didn’t show up in the scoring summary, but he had another solid game…8-for-11 in the circle, a couple of hits, a couple of blocked shots.

Matt Pettinger must be setting some record for lowest shooting percentage…three more shots today without a reward (he also had four misses), giving him two goals on 78 shots this year (2.6 percent). If Alex Ovechkin had that shooting percentage, he’d have six goals. But give Pettinger credit…he’s still plugging out there.

Much will be made of Mike Green taking on more minutes – he was on the ice for 27:46 in this game – but Jeff Schultz was next in line in ice time: 25:33. With Tom Poti and Brian Pothier on the shelf, Schultz has to assume a larger workload, but therein lies a problem, too. Schultz might not be far enough along in his development to be assuming that big a role on a consistent basis.

Matt Bradley had nine hits in 12:20. Can we suggest a nickname…”Tomahawk.”

Komisarek had better not use all the hot water in the whirlpool…Milan Jurcina had seven blocks, too.

Nine goals in this game…and John Erskine was on the ice for only one of them (Ovechkin’s second). Of the six Caps defensemen, he was the only one against whom Montreal scored no goals.

Shaone Morrisonn was on the ice for three of the four and still ended up a +1…he was also on the ice for three Caps goals.

Last year, after 42 games, the Caps had 18 wins (18-17-7). This year, they have 17 (17-20-5). Which feels better?

It was a nice way to end a short road trip, especially with a five game home stand coming up. There is only one divisional game in this upcoming set (Florida), but the five teams coming to Verizon Center have a combined road record of 50-45-9, as of the start of play today. It doesn’t get any easier.

The Peerless Prognosticator is ON THE AIR!!! -- Caps vs. Canadiens, January 5th

The Peerless Prognosticator is ON THE AIR!!

Wake up, Cap fans, it’s an early start to the second half of the year as the club visits Bell Centre for a 12:30 game against the Montreal Canadiens.

That’s right…12:30 pm.

But before we get to the particulars, this game starts the second half of the year, and in looking ahead, we’ve brought one of the most renowned practitioners of the prognosticatory arts to predict what the Caps fortunes might be over these last 41 and – we hope – more games.

To The Amazing Kreskin, welcome.

The Amazing Kreskin: “I knew you were going to say that.”

Let’s begin…the Caps are 16-20-5 as we start the second half. Since Christmas, they are 3-1-1 against some stiff competition. They have this roadie against the Canadiens today, then a five-game home stand…what do your spirits say?

TAK: “Well, if the Caps play well, and they score more than their opponents, I am supremely confident that they will win these games…”

That’s a very interesting take…in looking ahead, what do you think the chances are that the Caps will find a way to score more than their opponents?

TAK: “I see that the key is…goals. The Caps have to score more ‘goals’ than their opponents…and if they can do that, then I’m sure they will win at least most of their games.”

Uh...yeah.

TAK: “And there is more…should the Caps emerge from their contests with their opponents scoring fewer goals, they will have an even better chance of success in the second half of the season.”

Ya think?

TAK: “Absolutely…the combination of scoring more and opponents scoring fewer is what I see as the critical force in the Caps’ success in the second half.”

Well, where do you see the Caps finishing in the standings? Will they make the playoffs?

TAK: “I am confident that if the Caps finish no worse than eighth in the Eastern Conference, that they will make the playoffs.”

Well, what are their chances of doing that?

TAK: “If they finish with no more than seven teams ahead of them, their chances are very, very good.”

OK…this has been very interesting, but we’ll take it from here.

Five predictions:

1. Alex Ovechkin will not sign a new contract before the end of the season.

2. Alexander Semin will finish the year with more than 20 goals (he has six at the moment)

3. Matt Pettinger will finish the year with more than ten goals…and in a new city.

4. The Caps will be buyers at the trading deadline, probably for a veteran defenseman. The name that is popping up is…”Greg DeVries”

TAK: “you’re new at this, aren’t you?”

5. The Caps will catch the Florida Panthers – that’s right, the Florida Panthers – for the top spot in the Southeast Division on March 29^th, in game 79, when they defeat the Panthers in Florida. They will win the division with 88 points.

Now, as for today’s game…

Since leaving Washington after a 5-2 win on December 20^th, Montreal is 3-1-2, outscoring their opponents 22-16. Montreal’s success is not hard to figure out – if you commit a penalty against them, you pay. Six of their 22 goals in the last six games have been scored on the power play in 26 man advantages. Their success rate of 23.1 percent is actually behind their league-leading season success rate of 24.2 percent. They spread it around, too. Five different players have those six power play goals: Andrei Markov, Mark Streit, Andrei Kostitsyn (2), Alexei Kovalev, and Chris Higgins.

Spreading power play scoring around has been a key to the Canadiens’ season. 13 different players have scored power play goals, and 14 have power play points. Six have at least 10 power play points (the Caps have three players in that category).

It isn’t as if the Canadiens have been shirking their responsibilities on the other side of the special teams divide, either. They’ve killed off 18 of 20 shortages in the last six games.

If there is an odd statistic in the Montreal special teams play, though, it is this. The power play goal differential (goals for/goals against) is much narrower at home (18-16) than it has been on the road (27-16) this season.

The bottom line, though, is this…Montreal is 17-6-4 in games in which they score at least one power play goal, 3-7-3 in games in which they don’t. Conversely, the Caps are 13-6-2 in games where they have held a club without a power play goal, but only 3-14-3 in games where they have allowed at least one. The Caps’ penalty killers will be key in this game. The trouble is that in the last five road games, the Caps have killed only 13 of 19 man disadvantages (68.4 percent).

This is the first game of the second half and in a sense the first game of a new season. The pace the Caps have set since Thanksgiving (10-6-4) needs to be maintained, or even improved upon, for the club to have a shot at the Southeast Division crown (and it seems likely only one team from the division will make the playoffs). They get off on the right foot today…

Caps 4 – Canadiens 3

TAK: “I knew you were going to say that…”

Professor Peerless Posts the Midterm Report Card

41 games in the books, and it’s time to hand out midterm evaluations. We will dispense with the usual “grades” that come out this time of year and look to the sorts of comments that we used to get when we were in grade school...

Is a good citizen.

Viktor Kozlov. This might go for his only having accumulated 10 penalty minutes in 41 games, but one can’t help notice that despite his wretched goal drought that he ended the other day against Ottawa, he never seemed to complain or pout or get surly about it. He kept plugging, and while he can have the look from time to time of a guy skating without a care in the world, he did manage to compile 20 assists in the first half. That’s a pace that would get him his second highest career total.


Is becoming more dependable during work periods.

Alex Ovechkin. It might seem odd to place him under this comment, but while we marvel at his pace of a 60 goal season, let’s not forget that he is also on a pace for a +12 – a 31 point improvement over last year.


Is developing a better attitude toward work.

Alexander Semin. He hasn’t dressed as often as one might like, and this is a product of somewhat limited viewing this year, but he seems to be just a bit jollier in his attitude.


Is learning to occupy his time constructively.

Nicklas Backstrom. After what might be regarded by some as a slow start to his rookie campaign, he’s been averaging about a point a game since Thanksgiving, and he’s been able to hold his own with the top centers in the league. And he’s doing it while averaging 17:32 a game.


Wants responsibilities and follows through.

Mike Green. He still doesn’t get any penalty killing time to speak of, but he’s become the go-to guy on the blue line in the offensive end. He leads the defensemen in power play scoring, and he’s added five and a half minutes to his average ice time this year. He has the look of someone who can – and wants to – do better.


Has great potential and works toward achieving it.

Ovechkin. It isn’t often that a player – any player, but especially one arriving with all the ballyhoo of an Ovechkin – can be said to exceed expectations, but he’s done so in his short time in the NHL. That he would be mentioned as a potential 60-goal scorer in his third year, before his 23rd birthday, is rather amazing. Here is a comparison for you...in his first three years in the NHL, Wayne Gretzky scored 149 goals in 231 games. At his current scoring pace this year, Ovechkin is on a pace to score 141 goals in his first 231 games. He’s in pretty good company. And the combination of his enthusiasm and his raw hunger to score more suggests that he’s still on the rise in his scoring production.


Gaining more self-confidence.

Brian Pothier. This might look like another odd pick, Pothier being 30 years old. However, Pothier had logged fewer than 300 games in his career prior to this year and last year was burdened with the weight of a comparatively (for the Caps, at least recently) large contract and playing a larger, broader role than to which he was perhaps suited. He is not an all-things-in-all-situations defenseman, and he is not a 28-32 minute guy. This year, he’s fit into a role in which he seems a better fit – playing 18-20 minutes a game – and his game has prospered for it (5-9-14, +5, one game winner). The result is that he looks surer of himself on the ice.


Has earned a very fine report card.

Brooks Laich. The Caps have a lot of third and fourth line kinds of guys, and coming into this season there was a fear that there would be a real log jam among them. But Laich has quietly put together a pretty solid season, moving anywhere from the second to the fourth line, chipping in the odd goal, and crashing and banging when the situation calls for it. Only Ovechkin has more game-winning goals.


Has been consistently progressing.

Backstrom. Last summer, there were more than a few Caps fans who seemed to think Backstrom was overrated, based on his performance in rookie camp. Here’s a kid – 19 years old when the season started – in a different country, on a different ice surface, learning a different kind of game than the one he was used to playing in Europe. It was hardly a stretch to think he might struggle early. The club brought him along slowly, starting him on the wing in the early games. But since he’s been established at center, his scoring has improved, he’s been responsible in his own end, and he looks more assertive in all three zones of the ice. Playing with Ovechkin helps, but Ovechkin’s production has been helped by Backstrom’s improvement, too.


Works well in groups, planning and carrying out activities.

Michael Nylander. Let’s put Nylander’s -16 aside for the moment (no, let’s just throw it in a hole and shovel dirt on it). He has done what Nylander does...he is a “playmaker” who looks to set up teammates. Some might see him as a little too cute with the puck from time to time, or a little too concerned with making the pass, but he has 14 assists in his last 15 games. If he keeps up that pace in the last half (he’d finish with 61 assists), he will eclipse his career high for helpers (57, set last year with the Rangers).


Possible he could exceed grade expectations.

Boyd Gordon. Gordon had a slow start to the year and has missed 15 games (12 of them in December), but he’s 1-2-3, +3 in his last four games, has won 55.7 percent of his draws this year, and leads the entire NHL in shorthanded ice time. Not this year, but soon, he could be a Selke winner for the Caps. And we still think there is an untapped offensive potential there.


Unusually mature.

Jeff Schultz. He makes mistakes from time to time, and can be somewhat exasperating in not using his size to better advantage. But he rarely looks as if he is in panic. He plays smaller than his size, and that is not always a bad thing. Smaller defensemen need to use smarts and an ability to use angles and position to defend. He does this pretty well for one with fewer than 75 games of experience at the NHL level.


Good attitude.

Tomas Fleischmann. He played his way onto the opening night top line, then found himself overmatched early on. But he’s been earnestly plugging away – sometimes on the second line, sometimes on the fourth line – and is putting together a season that, if it won’t especially impress anyone this year, could be something to build on for the future.


He is capable of much better work.

Matt Pettinger. If someone had predicted Pettinger would have only two goals in 39 games and have the same scoring line as Donald Brashear (2-3-5), they’d have been thought a bit wacky, based on Pettinger’s last two years (36 goals in 135 games). His performance has been one of the big mysteries and disappointments of the first half. The good news is, if he can approach his rate of production of the last two years in the second half, it could be just the additional jump this team needs to push them into the playoff mix.


Disruptive in class.

The obvious pick here might be Donald Brashear, with his seven fighting majors this year (11th in the league). But Matt Bradley deserves a nod here, too, and in a good way. 56 hits (4th on the team) while getting only 8:29 of ice time a night. He makes his presence felt.


He still needs guidance and support from both you and me.

Milan Jurcina. And the “you and me” might read, “coaches and fans.” There is the lingering feeling that Jurcina is not performing up to the level he displayed upon coming to the Caps via trade from Boston last year. Statistically, that’s true...2-7-9, +5 in 30 games with the Caps last year versus 1-2-3, -4 in 36 games this year. He does not appear to be playing with quite the same edge or sense of urgency as last year and appears at times a bit lost on the ice. You’d wonder if this wasn’t a matter of a slip in self-confidence. One good sign...he’s only been on the minus side of the ledger twice in the last dozen games.


He assumes responsibility well and has a fine attitude.

Shaone Morrisonn. He draws the big assignments – the Jagrs, the Crosbys, the Lecavaliers. The lack of offense (four goals in 202 career games with the Caps) is something that folks might like to see improvement in, but here is a guy who has had two minus games in his last 14 drawing those big assignments. If he’s on the plus-side of the ledger that often in the second half, it will be a good second half for the Caps.


Quality of work has improved.

Tom Poti. Before Thanksgiving, Poti was 0-4-4, -4, in 15 games. Since then, he is 0-8-8, -1 in 19 games. It hasn’t propelled him into a short list for Norris Trophy consideration, but it is improvement.


Excessive absences.

Chris Clark. Hey, it’s not his fault (we’re more inclined to wonder if it wasn’t the condition of the ice that contributed to Clark’s groin injury), but having the captain out hasn’t helped this team. That the Caps have done as well as they have in his absence is a credit to the team and Bruce Boudreau. If Clark can get back to the ice for the second half, it can only help the team that much more. The hard part about this is that despite going scoreless for his first seven games, he was 5-3-8 in ten games before his injury, very much consistent with his career-record setting pace in goals set last year.


Hard worker.

David Steckel. He draws big minutes among forwards on penalty kills and often draws the big matchups at center. Even with some recent struggles in the faceoff circle, he’s won 52 percent of his draws this year. Not bad for a guy who came into the season with 12 games of NHL experience.


Does colorful and interesting work.

John Erskine. He has a knack for getting under the skin of opponents without ever changing the expression on his face. And I’ll bet no one had the “over” on the scoring contest between him and Pettinger this year (Erskine is 1-5-6).


Takes pride in work well done.

Quintin Laing. Some guys do one thing very well. Often, it is something that doesn’t get a lot of attention other than a “here’s an odd statistic” moment on a game broadcast. Laing’s thing is blocking shots. He has 19 in 14 games. Here’s some perspective on that stat...it projects to 111 for a full season. That happens to be the total that led the league among forwards last year (Mathieu Dandenault).


Exhibits excellent attitude.

Brent Johnson. You’d better have someone with an excellent attitude who is likely to get into a game maybe three times a month over the course of a season, if the number one goalie is doing well. Johnson is having perhaps his best of three years with the Caps (3-4-1, 2.92, .898). For a team with ambitions of making the playoffs, those numbers might have to improve some in the second half, but at the moment that will be difficult, given that he’s injured.


Does not work up to his ability.

Olaf Kolzig. This might seem harsh, but only because he has been the rock of this franchise for the better part of the last decade – a goaltender who has played a lot better than his numbers might suggest because the team in front of him has been so weak. But this year, one has a disturbing feeling that the club has bailed the goalie out more often than had been the other way around in the past. It is not that Kolzig has played poorly, at least not for long stretches. But he’s given up at least four goals in four of his last ten appearances, ten in 33 appearances this year. Part of the recent trend might be the higher risk offense coach Bruce Boudreau employs. But a save percentage of .868 over the last ten games isn’t something the team is going to be able to weather from its number one goaltender, either.


Overall, we said that this would be a team that would probably struggle early with all the new parts it had to incorporate this year, especially among the top-six forwards and on defense. We didn’t think they’d struggle to the extent they did. If one looks at the first 41 games, then it projects to 74 points...another year of disappointing mediocrity. However, the Caps are 10-6-4 in 20 games since the change behind the bench. If they continue that pace, they will finish with 86 points. Given that last year, 92 points was necessary to make the playoffs in the Eastern Conference, that projection might look bleak. However, at the moment Carolina leads the Southeast Conference, and they are on a pace to earn...

...86 points.

The above might look a bit too "pollyanish" for some tastes, but the after-Thanksgiving team looks a lot more like the team folks thought might contend for a playoff spot. That goal is not out of reach, or at least not to the extent is appeared to be a month ago. There is still a lot of work to do, performances that have to be improved, and there are a lot of teams to climb over, but it could end up being a very interesting second half...if only this club can get healthier.

OK...what's up with this?

Now what?

So here we are, in Day 3 of the “Post Winter Classic” era.

If you read press releases, listen to TV and radio reports, and peruse the blogosphere, you will find heaps of praise ladled generously on the Winter Classic played in Buffalo on New Year’s Day.

It is deserved.

As theater, it was perhaps the single most important production for hockey since the invention of the cathode ray tube. Conjuring visions of youth and hockey played on ponds, with snow falling in what amounted to a four hour Hallmark moment, two teams clothed in old school back-to-their-origins jerseys and wearing grins like young boys that lit up the ice, a crowd that was enthusiastically involved in the contest from before the drop of the puck to well after the puck came to rest behind Ryan Miller in the shootout, and the league’s own poster boy – Sidney Crosby – providing the coup de grâce, it was an afternoon hockey executives and fans have prayed for since the end of the lockout.

Hockey was relevant again.

NBC reported television ratings in the U.S. better than those for any regular season telecast in almost 11 years. The game – and the sport – realized a rare penetration into print and electronic media that seem in recent years more devoted to running hockey off the sports landscape. Even the princes of ESPN – Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon (one a hockey basher of some note, the other primarily a basketball writer who dropped hockey in favor of soccer and NASCAR because of his crowded schedule) – lavished praise on the effort.

At the moment, it is the Era of Good Feeling in the world of hockey…thanks to one game played outdoors.

Well, folks, NHL hockey is not one game, and it is not played outdoors. It is a more-than-six-month regular season covering 82 games, and it is played indoors in 30 cities, some of which are having a hard time making a buck or drawing fans to the rink (the Caps, for instance, are on a pace to draw their smallest average attendance since the 1983-84 season).

And, for you students of history, the Era of Good Feeling of the early 18^th century ultimately dissolved into division and conflict. The potential for that exists in the months and years to come with a labor agreement that could be dissolved less than two years from now*; the lingering separation of clubs into populations of “haves” and “haves not,” despite the cost-certainty realized from the current agreement; uncertainty with respect to expansion or relocation; and a persistent lack of attention (the Winter Classic, notwithstanding) given to the NHL in the U.S.

The Winter Classic was less a blessing than an opportunity, and the league needs to take advantage of it. How they do that is a remedy to the problem that I don’t have – if I did, I’d be happy to share it. But it is a remedy that must be found while this opportunity presents itself, because while the Winter Classic was a theatrical success, it is also a novelty. I would not expect the league to repeat its success, even if it becomes an annual event. Novelties wear off.

I’ve been a fan of the sport for more years than I care to admit. Literally the first thing I did upon moving to Washington, many years ago, was to purchase a Caps ticket plan. Having seen just about every team sport there is – live and/or on television – I can testify that there is nothing…absolutely nothing…to compare to the experience of watching a hockey game live. Whether you sit in the balcony of an arena watching the geometry of the game unfold before your eyes, or you sit near the glass and appreciate the raw speed and power of the game, it is an experience that can’t be matched by any other team sport. The Stanley Cup tournament is some of the most compelling sustained drama that one could ever hope to see in sport. That the National Hockey League has not found a way to convey this to the sports fan is, I believe, one of the great modern tragedies in sports.

I’m no different than any other hockey fan – talking up the sport, marveling at the goals or the saves or the hits, making extra tickets available to friends and potential fans. And maybe it’s the little things like that – not the big Cecil B. DeMille productions – that will make a difference in rebuilding the sport. We can only hope hockey fans everywhere are doing what they can do, just out of the enthusiasm for the sport they show, to make that come true.

Looking back at the game played on Tuesday and marveling at the attention it received does little good for the league and teams not in Buffalo or Pittsburgh in the long term. The trick is in figuring out a way to build on the success of the Winter Classic, looking ahead and figuring out a way to translate the success of a unique event into something that can be sustained in the regular grind of a long season. Because if the league can’t do that, then the Winter Classic will – as it recedes into memory – look more like a snow globe you take out from time to time to reminisce of a time long gone than a signal of a new dawn for the sport.

* Article 3, Section 3.1(b) of the collective bargaining agreement states, “notwithstanding anything to the contrary set forth in subparagraph 3.1(a), the NHL [Players Association] shall have the right: (i) to terminate this Agreement as of September 15, 2009 by delivery of written notice the NHL at least 120 days prior to September 15, 2009…”

A no point night: Bruins 2 - Caps 0

Sometimes, you get the bear…and sometimes, the bruin gets you.

That Bruin would be Tim Thomas, who – if he played the Caps 40 times a year – might end up in the Hall of Fame. As it is, the 2-0 shutout he rung up last night against the Caps in Boston made him 8-0-1 in his career against the red, white, and blue.

It wasn’t enough to take the shine off the back-to-back wins against Ottawa, but it was a dose of reality, that there is a lot of work to do…and having depleted bunch with which to do it makes it harder.

It wasn’t as if the Caps lacked for effort as much as for results…at both ends. Boston couldn’t put the game away against Caps goalie Olaf Kolzig until they were granted a two-man advantage mid-way through the third period. A double minor to Mike Green for high sticking and a bench minor for too many men on the ice was converted into a game-clinching goal by Zdeno Chara 36 seconds after the penalties were assessed. And even that was a product of the Caps’ netminder being leveled in his own crease by his own teammate, Jeff Schultz, who just seemed to lose track of exactly where he was. Chara had what amounted to an open net at which to shoot.

Before that, Marc Savard made good on a rebound to give the B’s a 1-0 lead in the second period, but the story of this game was two goaltenders exchanging big stops…Thomas denying Tomas Fleischmann on a break following a turnover less than six minutes into the game…Kolzig snuffing out a drive by Phil Kessel off a pretty drop pass from P.J. Axelsson…Kolzig again stopping Marco Sturm from in close in the last two minutes of the first period…Thomas stopping Nicklas Backstrom from point blank range…Thomas again, stopping Donald Brashear all alone in the slot…Thomas denying Alex Ovechkin, not once, but twice in the same sequence, leaving Ovechkin to gaze into the rafters.

It was a treat for those who like goaltenders making big saves, even if the result was disappointing to Caps fans.

Not much to tease out of the numbers for this one; it was a tightly fought affair. If anything, the minutes evidenced the problem injuries create…guys getting more minutes than they otherwise might, perhaps playing roles they might not other wise play. For example, Schultz played almost six minutes more than his season average (23:50, compared to 18:06). Tomas Fleischmann and Brooks Laich split up a good portion of the power play time that Alexander Semin might have gotten (3:32 and 3:14, respectively…Semin averages 4:42 in power play ice time this year). Even John Erskine, who had logged barely two minutes of power play ice time for the season, registered almost a minute on the man advantage that Tom Poti might have had.

On the other side, former Cap Glen Metropolit might have been the best player on the ice last night for the Bruins not named “Thomas.” A pair of assists, 60 percent on faceoffs, no giveaways, and it was his shot from which a rebound came that Savard pounced on for his goal.

But the story was Thomas. Alex Ovechkin noted after the game that the game was "[the] most terrible game of the season for us. We don't move. We don't shoot the puck. We were sleeping tonight – everybody. Only Olie (Kolzig) played well. I don't know what happened to us."

That might have been frustration talking. In all sports, there are “fill-in-the-blank killers”…a player who just has a knack for success against one team, even if his career hasn’t been otherwise noteworthy. In baseball, the example is someone like Frank Lary – a guy who won only 128 games in a 12-year career, but was 28-13 against the New York Yankees, earning him the nickname of “Yankee Killer” and once prompting Yankee Manager Casey Stengel to hold his ace – Whitey Ford – out of a matchup against Lary, noting that if Lary was going to win anyway, why waste his best pitcher doing it. Thomas seems to be growing into that kind of “Cap-killer.”

After this loss, some comments we remember from Brooks Laich the other day seem relevant. He noted that in a long season, you’re going to lose games here and there, but you can’t let one loss become two. The Caps have to avoid streaks of the negative sort at this point, which makes the game on Saturday in Montreal important.

Since Thanksgiving...

Ponder the following set of numbers...

11-18-29, +15
12-17-29, +8
12-12-24, -4
5-17-22, +6
5-17-22, +5
6-14-20, +2
7-9-16, +3


These would be the scoring/plus-minus totals for the league's top six scorers overall among centers in the games they've played since Thanksgiving...and Nicklas Backstrom.*

Backstrom, if you've been reading other blogs, was named NHL Rookie of the Month for December 2007.

Add to that Alex Ovechkin's being named NHL 1st Star for the week for the week ending December 30th, and it wasn't a bad week for two guys whose combined ages don't equal a Chris Chelios.


* In order: Jason Spezza, Pavel Datsyuk, Vincent Lecavalier, Joe Thornton, Sidney Crosby, Nicklas Backstrom, Mats Sundin.

Rumor has it...

...Coach has a secret formula to get Alexander Semin ("tailbone" injury) into the lineup tonight...



It can't hurt...

The Peerless Prognosticator is ON THE AIR!...Caps vs. Bruins, January 3rd

The Peerless Prognosticator is ON THE AIR!!

And tonight, the Caps head to Beantown...the Hub...home to the Sawx and Hah-vuhd Yahd. And perhaps more watering holes, per capita, than any city in the U.S. (Ok, Milwaukee has more, but Boston’s up there). The Peerless is not beyond imbibing from time to time of hoppy goodness, so we’re going to stop by one of the city’s fine establishments and get some local “flavor” for tonight’s contest. Boston being one of the great sports towns in the U.S., we’re bound to find some Bruin fans to give us the low-down on the home team...

Hey gents...”Peerless” is the name, and I’m here from DC for the Bruins-Caps game...and you are...




[all]: “NORM!”

Norm: “heh-heh...I’m pretty much a regular here...well, a constant actually. And this is my buddy, Cliff.”

Cliff: “glad to welcome a fellow hockey fan to Beantown...ya know, it’s a little known fact that the term ‘washington capitals’ is an anagram for ‘a satanic thing plows...”

Norm: “Cliffy, that’s another term for Gary Bettman...Peerless, you guys are doing pretty well, and we really have to thank you guys for handing Ottawa a couple of beat downs.”

It’s been a pretty good month and change, actually...8-3-3 in the last 14 games. But now the Caps have a couple of road games coming up, and they haven’t had much success against the Bruins lately.

Cliff: “yeah, 0-0-4 last year, three of them in shootouts. Did you know that the shootout was first used in the Punic Wars?...it’s a fact...yeah, and long before you had nicknames in hockey, the Carthaginians were using them...uh, ‘Hanno the Great,’ ‘Hasdrubal the Handsome’..."

Norm: “ok, Cliffy...no more for you. Every time he has too many, he starts blathering about the Romans and the Carthaginians.”

Well, what about the Bruins and the Caps...seems like the Caps have a “Curse of the Jurcino” working against them.

Norm: “hey, Jurcina played for the Bruins in the first two of those games last year...”

OK, well, it sounded kind of ‘Boston-y.’ Speaking of which, the Bruins are having a hard time lately, aren’t they.

Cliff: “1-5-1 in their last seven games. It’s not as bad as their 1-10-1 run to finish last year, but it’s been bad..."

It’s not been a special teams problem, so far as I can figure out.

Cliff: “Right you are, Peerless. Our Beantowners have a 20.7 percent power play in those last seven games, and their penalty killing isn’t so bad either…84.8 percent."

What’s been the problem?

Norm: “We suck at even strength. Overall, the B’s have been outscored 17-26, but at even strength?...9-20.”

Cliff: “Geez, we have almost as many special team goals – six power play and two shorties – as we do even strength goals…but it’s also a little known fact that our goalie – Tim Thomas – has never lost a game to the Caps in regulation.”

Is that so?

Cliff: “Oh, absolutely. He’s 7-0-1, 2.04, .933 in eight career games. And of course, ‘Tim Thomas’ spelled differently is “Tom hams it.”

I don’t get it…

Cliff: “Well, I don’t either, but it sounded good.”

Guys, the B’s seem to have the Caps’ number, especially in the extra session. Why do you think that’s so?

Norm: “Who knows?...They’re 5-1 in overtime and shootout games the last two years against the Caps."

Cliff: “Well, I have a theory on that…it has to do with the frequency of sunspots and the…”

Norm: “Cliff…Cliff…let me buy you a beer…”

Cliff: “psst…Peerless…works every time…”

Well, the Caps will be trying to avoid the extra session, to be sure. As noted, the Bruins won all four games last year in extra time, winning three of them via Bettman’s Gimmick. Phil Kessel had the winner in two of those shootouts, quite a turn from his in-game performance where he is just 1-0-1 in four career contests against the Caps. The real Cap-killer here is Marc Savard, who is 6-32-38, +10 in 27 career games against Washington. That +10 is pretty significant, since he is -85 for his career against the rest of the league.

Another Bruin to watch is one who will be on the ice when the Caps are on the power play or if Alex Ovechkin is taking a shift. P.J. Axelsson is one of those guys…

Cliff: “Uh, Peerless, it’s a little known fact that ‘P.J.’ are initials for ‘pretty juiced,’ which is a description of how he plays…”

Norm: "Uh, Cliff…it stands for ‘Per-Johan’…"

Cliff: “yeah, well…that, too.”

As we were saying, Axelsson could be a key for the Bruins as they try to shut down what has been a high-octane Caps offense lately (47 goals in their last dozen games). The good part of that for the Caps is that Alex Ovechkin, despite going 10-7-17 over those dozen games, has had a hand in “only” 36.2 percent of the Caps scoring, compared to 44.6 percent for the season. The club is spreading things around more, and this has contributed to the 7-2-3 record in those dozen games.

Ovechkin also can expect to wear a wrap called “Zdeno Chara” around his shoulders for much of the evening, and Chara has had success against the Caps – 2-10-12, +12 in 33 career games. He’s also on a pace (48 points) to eclipse his best season scoring mark (43 points, in each of the last two years).

If Coach Bruce Boudreau is to make good on his suggestion that Frederic Cassivi will get the start on Saturday in his hometown of Montreal (OK, Sorel is his hometown, but it's close), then Olaf Kolzig gets the start tonight. Kolzig has had his struggles with the Bruins, going 7-8-5-4, 2.86, .912 in 28 career games.

For Cassivi to get that start, Kolzig must play well, or at least the Caps must win. Well, we prognosticate a Cassivi sighting in Montreal on Saturday, and it won’t involve the wearing of a baseball cap…

Caps 4 – Bruins 2

Cliff: “It’s a little known fact that baseball caps actually started as hockey caps…yeah, it’s true…and that’s where we get the term, ‘hiccup’…they were called ‘hockcaps’ in Canada, and when a player ‘hiccupped’ on the bench and his cap fell off, another player – because all those Canadians speak with an accent – would pick it up and hand it to him and say, ‘ere’s yer hiccup,’ because he couldn’t say ‘hockcap.’”

Norm: "Cliff…have another beer."

Cliff: “Told ya…it works every time.”

"I expect him to be a Washington Capital for a long, long, long time."

Hey, don't look at me; I didn't say it. Ted Leonsis did, to Tarik El-Bashir in the Capital Insider today.

Reaction was swift...

Eklund: "e-yuck"

Larry Brooks: "Ovechkin doesn't belong to the Caps, dammit! He doesn't!!...He belongs to the Rangers!! He has to...every player does!!"

Bruce Garrioch: "Sources say this is a prelude to a trade with Nashville for Radek Bonk."

Jack Todd: "It's a crime, I tell ya...a crime!...well, it oughtta be, anyway."

Ted Kulfan: "Hey, then he can afford to buy a ticket to follow Glen Hanlon out of Washington..."

The Hockey News: "pfft...philistines."

"As a defenseman, you can learn a lot from Karl Alzner..."

So said Thomas Hickey -- defenseman for the Seattle Thunderbirds and #4 overall pick in the 2007 NHL entry draft (Alzner was selected 5th overall).

With respect to Alzner's presence on the Canadian junior team participating in the world junior championships, Hickey added of his teammate..."we’re fortunate to have returning guys like him.”

For more, check the rest of Brad Holland's story at nhl.com.

Meanwhile...in the East

Odd, ain't it.

And then there are those bottom four teams, too.

A TWO point night!...Caps 6 - Senators 3

18-10.

That is what the combined score is between the Caps and the Ottawa Senators this season following the Caps third win in three tries against the Senators – a 6-3 come-from-two-goals-behind win yesterday at Verizon Center.

That the Caps should be 3-0 against the top team in the Eastern Conference and 1-2-1 against a club such as the Florida Panthers is one of the things that makes sports an often head-scratching affair. But the Caps are now 10-5-4 since Bruce Boudreau took over behind the bench, and it isn't as if they've done it against tamata cans, either.

It sure didn’t look like a Caps kind of day early in the game. Chris Neil took a long pass from Christoph Schubert and skated past a flat-footed Jeff Schultz before the game was two minutes old, then deked goalie Olaf Kolzig to the ice before sliding a forehand into the net to give the visitors and early 1-0 lead. Dean McAmmond followed that up by taking a pass from Neil and splitting Milan Jurcina and Tom Poti before lifiting a backhand over Kolzig, and before the game was five minutes old, it seemed as if the Senators would inflict some stiff payback for having lost the first two games of this series.

Then, Viktor Kozlov made an appearance.

Nicklas Backstrom, who is showing a veteran’s ability to create space and time for himself, did just that in spinning away from Andrej Meszaros in the left wing corner and rifling a pass to Kozlov pinching in on the weak side. Kozlov buried the puck – his first goal in 23 games -- and the Caps were back in it.

At that point, Senators goalie Martin Gerber’s game went into the dumper. With the teams playing four-on-four, a drive by Jeff Schultz was bobbled by Gerber, and the puck was left lying next to his right pad. Michael Nylander swooped in before Gerber could locate the puck and batted it into the net to tie the game. Before the announcement of the Nylander goal could be finished, Mike Green circled in his own zone, then broke out with the puck. Alexander Ovechkin occupied two Senators at the Ottawa line, creating a skating lane for Green. He jumped into the hole, skated in alone on Gerber, and lifted the puck over Gerber’s glove to give the Caps the lead they would not relinquish.

Three goals in the space of 2:19…that ended Gerber’s day.

Ray Emery took over and was victimized shortly thereafter on a simple case of simple hockey…Brooks Laich circled out of the right wing corner in the Ottawa zone and sent the puck to Mike Green at the point. Green fired the puck wide to Emery’s left and off the end boards. When the puck squeaked out the other side, Boyd Gordon trying to stuff the puck in, but Emery stopped the first drive. Gordon, Donald Brashear and Laich took turns whacking at the puck in the Senator crease, Laich having an attempt stopped by defenseman Wade Redden’s leg. The puck came back to Laich, and from his knees he lifted the puck into the net to give the Caps a two goal lead (the goal that would make Emery the losing goaltender of record for this game).

The Caps would score (finally!) on a 5-on-3 power play less than a minute into the third period, and although one can’t say that the competitive portion of the game was over – these being the Senators – it looked really good from there on out. The teams exchanged goals to complete the scoring, the Caps scoring theirs on a Boyd Gordon empty netter with 1:51 left.

Some observations:

That was the first time in 11 games that the Daniel Alfredsson-Jason Spezza-Dany Heatley line did not register a goal. Heatley and Alfredsson had single secondary assists.

Alex Oveckin had five hits…it seemed like each of them was going to require the facilities staff to replace glass. He seemed to save his best for Chris Phillips.

Kolzig gave up three goals, which is probably going to reap the wrath of a fair number of Caps fans. But the first two were the product of awful defensive breakdowns that left first Chris Neil, then Dean McAmmond alone on goal. The last of the three was a perfectly placed shot over Kolzig’s blocker by Andrej Mezsaros. Granted, neither Neil nor McAmmond will make anyone forget Sidney Crosby or even Kris Letang on a one-on-the-goalie situation, but those kinds of defensive breakdowns need to be addressed. As for Kolzig, the Caps essentially put the game in his hands after the fifth goal (the Caps were outshot 24-11 in the final two periods). He was more than up to the challenge, making some fine stops (he stopped 27 of the last 28 shots he faced), especially when the Senators were pressing in the third.

Alex Semin injured his tailbone. No, really. That’s the report. He took only five shifts for 1:45. The bench was made even shorter when Tom Poti went off for the day mid-way through the second period with an “upper body” injury. That the Caps could dominate short a forward and their minutes-leader on defense is rather amazing. But the club will find it difficult to sustain their recent success if these two are out for any appreciable amount of time.

Wade Redden was -5 for the back-to-back set…tough week.

David Steckel had a tough game and one odd judgment that could have had some dire consequences. With a chance to nullify an icing call about to be made by merely touching the puck, he decided to brace for a closing Senator and tie up the puck. The Senator touched the puck first, the icing call was made, and the faceoff was brought back to the Caps end of the ice. We kept thinking, “you’d better win this faceoff, now.”

Speaking of faceoffs, one has to applaud a player who recognizes as certain weakness in his game and tries to turn it to his advantage. When a Cap was tossed from the dot, and Alex Ovechkin skated in to take the draw, he didn’t even pretend as if he was going to try to win the draw. He set up on his forehand to just rifle the puck out of the zone. He did…trouble is, Ottawa caught onto the ruse and intercepted the puck at the line before it could squirt free.

Shaone Morrisonn stepped up in this two-game set. Plus-four over all (+3 yesterday) and six blocked shots. He chewed up some of those minutes Poti yielded when the latter was injured (25:47 for the game). He was on the ice for only one Senator goal (of nine) – a power play goal on Saturday – in this two-game set.

Mike Green is turning into his own highlight reel with these 175-foot rushes. He’s on a pace for 21 goals, which would be the most since Sergei Gonchar had 26 in 2001-2002.

In the “the-event-didn’t-live-up-to-the-hype” department…what the #@$% was that between Brian McGrattan and Donald Brashear? The whole arena knew it was coming, and what happened?...McGrattan looked like he was, in the words of Herb Brooks, “humping a football.” Or maybe it was some obscure wrestling move that allowed McGrattan to end up on Brashear’s back, trying to land punches from behind. The yapping continued to the penalty box, where Brashear was standing with his arms out in a pleading pose toward McGrattan. We suppose he was asking, “what, you couldn’t buy me dinner, first?”

Speaking of McGrattan…three shifts? For the game?? Why did coach John Paddock bother to dress him? At least Brashear had an assist and was +1 in his 11:37 of play.

The odd statistic…McGrattan, Cody Bass, and Nick Foligno – combined – didn’t have as much ice time as Brashear (11:12 to 11:37).

Joe Corvo did a passable impression of Alex Ovechkin in one respect…he had nine shots on goal. In another respect, he didn't…none of them found the back of the net. He was also -3.

Matt Pettinger might have spent another day off the score sheet, but he had some oomph in his game. It took a fine save by Gerber on a backhand and later a big stop by Emery to keep him off the score sheet, and Pettinger had four shots on goal total.

Nice teamwork on the second Green goal (the 5-on-3)…Green on the left wing to Nylander on the right side, and when Mike Fisher turned to take a peek out to the point it created a passing channel that Nylander jumped on. The pass back to Green needed only to be one-timed into the net.

In the midst of all this good feeling, there is a note of caution. Olaf Kolzig alluded to it in the post game…

“We're starting to believe. We're a different team than we were six weeks, a month ago. But we got ourselves in such a big hole at the beginning of the season that we're slowly but surely creeping our way back into things.”

Here is the meaning of the “big hole” reference…the Caps are 10-5-4 under Bruce Boudreau. If they keep up that pace over the last 42 games, they will finish the year with 90 points. That might win them the Southeast Division, given current trends. But it requires that the Caps maintain this pace. Such was the "big hole" they dug. Can they do it? Well, 19 games is a fairly representative portion of the season. And, in the process of going 10-5-4, they’ve earned points against the likes of the Senators, Red Wings, Devils, Rangers, Hurricanes, and Penguins.

However, they are entering a dangerous portion of the schedule with their next five games coming against Boston, Montreal, Colorado, Philadelphia, and the last game in the Ottawa series for the season. Only Boston is not among the top-eight of their respective conferences, and the Bruins are sitting ninth in the East this morning.

It’s nice to beat the Ottawa’s of the world. Those are points you don’t necessarily expect to get, let alone sweep. But the Caps have to have points against the Bostons and Montreals of the world, too. This will be a big two weeks in determining if the Caps are going to be contenders or pretenders.

But for now, Caps fans should be pretty pleased with what the club has done the last month. Look, even a noteworthy opponent seems pleased...

Your Top Hockey Stories for 2008!

The Peerless has looked deep-deep-deep into his crystal ball (which looks suspiciously like the bottom of a beer mug) and divined the top-ten hockey stories you'll see in 2008…

10. The NHL and Reebok will announce that all teams will introduce alternate jerseys for the 2008-2009 season. SpongeBob SquarePants will be retained as a consultant to address moisture issues.

9. Jim Balsillie will forego efforts to buy an existing National Hockey League team in favor of another route. He will “purchase” the beer league team of “Cap’n Tuck’s Bar and Grill” in Hartford, CT, rename them the “Whalers,” them move them to Hamilton, Ontario. A Cap’n Tuck’s team spokesman is quoted as saying, “we don’t care, as long as they have beer.”

8. A ground-breaking investigative report will reveal that Martin St. Louis has been taking performance enhancing substances. When it is pointed out that St. Louis is three-feet, seven-inches tall and weighs 17 pounds, it will be pointed out that the story said he “took” them, not that he actually ingested them.

7. The National Hockey League, on the heels of their wild success in the “AMP Energy® NHL Winter Classic,” announce that they have reached a deal with the Pittsburgh Penguins to forego construction of a new arena in favor of playing all home games at Heinz Field.

6. The Ottawa Senators finish first in the Eastern Conference with 115 points. The remaining 14 teams finish the regular season tied. The league announces a round robin playoff scheme to determine the other seven playoff teams that will end on June 17, 2012.

5. The National Hockey League announces that it has achieved its largest attendance figure in history. The press release does not include the revelation that the figures included mascots, ushers, concession workers, media, studio personnel in communication with media, people walking within 100 meters of the arena during play, and foam fingers as body parts of attendees.

4. Sidney Crosby drops his last name, and in the tradition of “Ichiro” Suzuki, “Madonna” Louise Ciccone, and “Prince” Rogers Nelson, shall hence forth be known only by his first name. It sounds just as stupid.

3. Archaeologists in western Canada discover evidence of a super-species of hockey player heretofore unknown in the East. They name it “Jarome Iginla.”

2. The league announces that it will create another trophy, the Sidney Trophy, to be awarded annually to Sidney (formerly, “Sidney Crosby”) so as to further increase the volume of hardware he wins.

…and the number one hockey story of 2008…

The National Hockey League announces that it is changing its name. Henceforth, it shall be known as “NASCAR.”

The Peerless Prognosticator is ON THE AIR!!! -- Caps vs. Senators, January 1, 2008

Happy 2008 everyone!

The Peerless Prognosticator is ON THE AIR to ring in the new year…

And we’re joined by 2007, who had a pretty grim year, if you’re a Caps fan. 2007…welcome.

“Not so loud…it was a long night.”

Out late last night, eh?

“Are you kidding?...as soon as that ball hit bottom in Times Square, my cheeks were hitting the nearest bar stool for some serious ‘celebrating.’”

Well, 2007 – can I call you “two?”…

“whatever…”

Two, in a word, how would you describe the year?

“ugh…”

Need a minute?

“No…that’s the word, ‘ugh.’”

Can you explain?…

“Jeez, were you awake?! – oh man, have I got a headache – the Caps were 27-43-12 in 2007…66 points. No...better if you slept through that.”

It wasn’t all bad…

“Yeah, you’re right…that Ovechkin kid had a good year…51-40-91 in 82 games. And Alexander Semin had 27 goals in 64 games. And Chris Clark had 21 goals in 54 games…that’s a 32-goal pace.”

And the Caps opened a new rink this year…

“Yeah, Kettler is a sweet facility…gotta give the club credit for putting that one together.”

Altogether, it was a mixed bag…

“Geez, Matt Pettinger was a mixed bag all by himself…he had a nice start to the 2006-2007 season, but you could kind of see his problems in the 2007-2008 season starting to show up in the 2007 portion of last season…he had ten goals in the first 31 games of last season, but after January 1^st he was only 6-9-15 in 33 games. Add that to what he’s done so far this season, and he was 8-12-20 in 70 games in 2007.”

What about free agents?

“Aw, that crap is overrated. Think a guy like Todd Bertuzzi is worth a $4 million cap hit for six goals in 27 games? And the Rangers went double-dipping for centers that combined don’t have as many goals as Brad Boyes.”

Well, they have combined for 45 assists…

“Yeah, and that’s worth more than $14 million in cap hit?...all those signings seem to have done is make it more difficult to sign the guy they have to sign – Henrik Lundqvist.”

OK, so what about the Caps free agents?

“Nylander…Poti…Kozlov…an acronym for ‘kinda zero volt pylon.’”

C’mon, they’re not as bad as all that.

“Nylander and Kozlov have a total of 12 goals. Shoot, it wasn’t a stretch to think they’d each have that many by now, and if it wasn’t for Tampa Bay, Nylander’s -15 would make the back page of the plus-minus rankings.”

Well, the team had what a lot of folks think was a pretty good draft last June.

“Yeah, that Alzner kid is a hoot…and he’s going to be a fine hockey player.”

And let’s not forget about the kids down on the farm…Hershey had another good year.

“Another Calder final…if it wasn’t for Hamilton’s goalie playing like his last name was ‘Roy,’ they might have had another Calder Cup, but 45-25-7 wasn’t a bad 2007.”

What else struck you about 2007?

“One goal games…the Caps were 5-6-7 in the first part of 2007, and they’re 7-8-5 so far this season. 12-14-12…geez, that last number looks awful, too, especially since they won only five games that went to an extra session in 2007…5-12 in extra session games?...gotta do better.”

There’s a good flip side to that, though, isn’t there?

“Yeah, they don’t get blown out as much. They had 13 losses by three or more goals from January 1^st through the end of last season…only seven so far this year. They compete most every night.”

Like against Ottawa?

“Yeah, how ‘bout that? Two wins in regulation…no one else has done that to the Senators this year…now, if they could only beat Pittsburgh.”

You would bring that up…

“ahh…just kidding. I liked that game against the Red Wings, too. No fear in the boys going into Joe Louis Arena…gotta like that.”

You got any advice for our readers for 2008?

“yeah…buy a ticket and go see a Caps game, for cryin’ out loud! These kids are gonna get better.”

Well, we have a game today… one that is played indoors. Since these teams played just a couple of days ago, there isn’t a lot to add to what we talked about last time. What we have is subplot…

Ottawa was supposed to be “ready” to play on Saturday night and had eight goals hung on them...will they be “really ready” on Tuesday afternoon?

Martin Gerber hadn’t given up more than three goals in a game in the entire month of December (6-2-0, 2.19, .931) and then channeled Martin Short as Ed Grimley, giving up seven goals on 29 shots.

Donald Brashear played Chris Neil’s skull like a bongo, but after allegedly declining an offer from Brian McGrattan for a spin around the ice…what is the over-under (in seconds from the drop of the puck) on a kerfuffle breaking out?

Alexander Ovechkin had two career hat tricks before his four-goal outburst on Saturday. In each of those first two hat tricks, Ovechkin followed it up with another three point game in the very next game he played (the first of which was the occurrence of “The Goal”). Think he can make it a three-peat?

Olaf Kolzig is the guy for the next several weeks as Brent Johnson recuperates from a knee injury (he’s the guy, anyway, but is less likely to be spelled here and there while Johnson is out). Giving up six goals – four in the third period – was not the sort of performance that would give comfort to coaches and fans alike, even if several were of the “deflection” variety.

Ottawa has the best road record in the league (13-3-2)…the Caps are 12-6-3-1, all time, on New Year’s Day. Who blinks?

If you’ve read this space, you know the answer to that last question…

Caps 5 – Senators 4.

How is it...

...that a forward who is, among his Eastern Conference forward cohort:

- 7th in total scoring (48 points)
- 2nd in goals (30)
- 4th in ice time (22:58)
- 1st in power play goals (12)
- one off the lead in game-winning goals (4)
- 4th in hits (102)
- tied in blocked shots with Selke winner Rod Brind'Amour
- 6th in takeaways
- was named the NHL's first star for the week ending December 30th
- twice (in two years) been named as a first team all-NHL player

...is only fifth among forwards in Eastern Conference All-Star voting?

Vote for this guy...


...and bring a smile to the face of his mom...



photos: Associated Press, Tracy A. Woodward/The Washington Post